Vice President Claims

Full Time
Education Level: BA/BS
Required Years Experience: 15

Church Pension Group (CPG) is a financial services organization that serves the Episcopal Church, located in Midtown Manhattan. CPG was founded in 1917 to provide pension benefits to eligible clergy of the Episcopal Church. Since then, its mission has expanded to include life and disability insurance, health benefits, property & casualty insurance, and publishing.

We currently have a hybrid work model.  

This position is required to report to the Bennington, VT office on collaboration days - Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

The Vice President of Claims leads the entire claims function for Church Insurance Companies, overseeing the management and settlement of property and casualty claims for all insurance entities. The position is responsible for managing loss adjustment expenses and outside legal representation in a cost-effective and timely manner. The role is also responsible for building, developing, retaining and motivating the claims team.

Benefits:

• Medical (including Vision)
• Dental
• Supplemental Dental
• Employee Life Insurance
• Spouse and Dependent Life Insurance
• Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) Insurance
• Short-Term Disability (STD) coverage
• Long-Term Disability (LTD) coverage (elected as either pre-tax or after-tax)
• Business Travel Accident Insurance
• Worker’s Compensation
• Employee Assistance Program
• Staff Retirement Plan
• Other Post-Retirement Benefits
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)
• Commuter Benefits
• New York’s 529 College Savings Program (NY State residents)
• Educational Assistance Program available to eligible employees
• Maternity/Paternity Leave available to eligible employees
• Time Off available to eligible employees: Vacation, Sick, Personal and Holidays

  Responsibilities:

• The VP of Claims is responsible for the overall direction of claims management and practices of the company. This includes oversight for developing, implementing, and managing policies and procedures to enhance the processing, investigation, and settlement of claims.

• Manage Claims Department staffing levels, analyze talent and assure the department possesses the capabilities necessary to meet the needs of the organization and clients, development of employee knowledge, skills, and abilities, and communicate standards of performance.

• Oversee the assignment of all incoming property, general liability, umbrella, directors and officers, employment practices and crime claims, matching specific claim adjusters skills with individual cases as appropriate.

• Oversee and be hands-on with the most significant claims and/or claims events, collaborating with the managers and adjusters and having strong communications within the claims group and with other departments.

• Continually evaluate effectiveness and areas for improvement for the claims department as well as all claims team members, using outside benchmarks (e.g. Wards) or services (e.g. audits) where possible to identify opportunities for improvement.

• Approve use and selection of all outside loss adjustment and resolution services including legal counsel, investigations, etc; effectively manage these overall costs for the organization.

• Track and manage all claims reports, including loss adjustment expenses, open claims, timely and accurate reserving, files in suit, and speed of settlement for all claim categories. Initiate and implement training or other actions if results vary from performance.

• Establish the organizational structure, environment, and accountability of the claims operations in order to deliver services to our clients.

• Maintain and keep team apprised of current information with respect to legislation, case law and industry developments/program developments.

• For the most significant claims, working to bring them to effective resolution, with the goal of settling prior to trial where possible.

• Keep senior CIC and CPG management informed on major claims or those that present important political or coverage issues.  Involve the General Counsel on claim issues and decisions when appropriate.

• Promote a high level of teamwork, provide mentorship and support, build skills and competencies, create succession planning opportunities, and customer service mindset within the Claims team.

• Develops and maintains claim/ legal resources to include attorneys, adjusters and expert witnesses.

• Selects or approves all outside adjusting, law, remediation, and consulting firms used by the department to investigate and resolve claims.
• Works closely with the General Counsel and Senior Vice President / GM responsible for P&C companies.
• Interfaces with senior executives and other department leads on subrogation, reserving, and reinsurance issues.

Experience:

• Excellent knowledge of standard commercial insurance policies including Property, General Liability, D&O, EPL, and Umbrella Liability required.

• Excellent knowledge of Insurance Coverages, investigative techniques, and legal precedents.

• Prior claim handling experience for D&O/EPL claims is desirable.

• A minimum of 10 years of experience overseeing/directing complex casualty claims.

• Well-developed outside attorney management/oversight skills involving large, complex claims in a range of jurisdictions.

• Familiarity with alternative resolution approaches.

• Insurance designations preferred but not required (CPCU, CRM, ARM and CIC).

• Intermediate skills with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).

• Possesses the patience and sensitivity to operate effectively in a church organization.

• Possess a working knowledge of all functional aspects of insurance company and third-party administrator (i.e. claims, underwriting, audit, loss management etc.)

• Comprehensive knowledge of insurance and legal systems.

• Ability to travel approximately 20% annually or when needed with some overnight stays.

• Must have valid driver’s license
• Bachelors degree required; advanced degree a plus.
• Minimum of 15 years of claim experience with a P&C insurer with responsibility for complex commercial claims

• Insurance designation preferred but not required (CPCU, CRM, ARM and CIC).
• Extensive use of computer
• Business land/air travel requiring single to multiple overnight stays at a time
• Professional office environment
• Home office (hybrid work model)
• Travel conditions may vary
• 60% of time spent in the Bennington, VT office (hybrid schedule), in office Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays with the claims team.

Join us and Create A Better Future For Yourself!

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification document form upon hire. Please understand that, as a general policy, CPG does not sponsor visas.

EOE: Minorities/Female/Disability/Vet/Sexual Orientation